Welding product news: backing tape

When welding sheets, pipes, tanks and other vessels made from metals such as stainless, carbon, duplex and chrome steels, it is important to support weld roots and provide even profiles.

As an international manufacturer of weld purging technology, Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT® has extended its range of purging products and is providing an economical Weld Backing Tape™ for the backing of welds, where purging is required but neither easily achieved nor economically viable.

Georgia Gascoyne, CEO for HFT said: “With the use of this relatively low cost Weld Backing Tape, welding speeds can be increased and will result in neat, clean welds that will require minimal post weld attention. The cost of the HFT Backing Tape is paid for on each weld by dramatically reducing welding time and cleaning.”

Weld Backing Tape is a glass fibre weld backing system that supports and protects the weld root from oxidation. It will trap the inert gas from the weld torch to hold the gas surrounding the weld pool, effectively providing a back purge facility.

Using Backing Tape is it possible to weld with MIG, TIG (GTAW) or Plasma (PAW) for the joining of all metals. In cases of welding large diameter pipes or vessels, there will be a massive inert gas saving by using Backing Tape instead of filling complete pipes or vessels with gas.

Weld Backing Tape is available in three grades and all consist of a high temperature resistant aluminium backing foil with a heat resistant band of woven glass fibre cloth. With the thickest cloth Backing Tape will support single pass welding at weld currents up to 240 Amps, without change to the chemistry or metallurgy of the weld.